A recent report of lottery numbers show two major trends in the Russellville area: People in Pope and Yell County have been buying generous amounts of lottery tickets, in turn producing thousands of scholarships for local college students, and the lottery sales statewide have brought more students — and more money — to Russellville.

According to a report by the Arkansas Lottery Commission, the lottery has paid out more than $23 million to Pope County residents since its inception in September of 2009, while Yell County residents received $5 million. This is in comparison to $38 million in total lottery ticket sales in Pope County, and $8 million in Yell County.

And ticket sales equate to scholarships for local college and college-bound students. Since the lottery began, Pope County students have received 2,473 scholarships, and 8,532 scholarships have been awarded to students who attended Arkansas Tech University. Additionally, 669 students from Yell County received scholarships.

For Pope and Yell County, the numbers reflect an average amount of lottery sales compared to statewide totals.

“Sales aren’t bad in Pope and Yell [County], but they are not as vigorous as they are in some counties,” said Julie Baldridge, director of public affairs at the Arkansas Lottery Commission. “They’re somewhere around the middle.”

But while lottery ticket sales might be average, Pope County’s benefit from the state lottery is anything but. Tech students’ reception of more than 8,500 scholarships translates to a staggering amount of tuition paid for by the lottery. According to Baldridge, the average amount of a scholarship for a four-year college is $4,750, meaning that the state lottery has paid for approximately $40 million in tuition for Tech students.

“For Pope County, you get more than you give,” Baldridge said. “There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just how it works.”

“I’ve been thrilled by the lottery’s success,” she continued. “We’ve exceeded expectations. No one expected the amount of applicants for scholarships. You hear a lot about the lottery not making enough to meet all the needs. That’s not a factor of the lottery not making enough; it’s a factor of the demand exceeding the supply. And that’s a good problem to have, in some ways.”